Improvement in circular-knitting machines



` omen I ,WILLIAM raAnzA ANDWI'LLIAMQPEO icREsirLinn, onio.

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Specificatiml.formin.g part of. Letters Patent No. *997.11.25, dated 'February 1, 1870.k l l To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM FRANZ and WILLIAM POPE, of Grestline, Crawford county, Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Knitting-Machines; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciication.

This invention relates to improvements in circular-knitting machines, whereby it is designed to provide an improved construction of the cam-cylinder and cam-groove, to facilitate throwing the needles out of action, when knitting back and forth, to form flat fabrics, gr part of stockin gs, in forming the vheels and oes.

Figure l represents a sectional elevation, and Fig. 2 represents a plan view, of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In a previous application for Letters Patent for improvements in this machine, led by us, we have represented, as an improved means of raisin g the needles out of the cam-groove, when at fabrics* are to be knit, a grooved ring on top of the .needle-cylinder, with a vertical groove'leading from the cam-groove thereto, whereby the needles may be moved from the cam-groove to the said grooved ring, the vertical groove being presented successively in front of the needles required to be elevated. The yarn being left on the needles when so raised bore their heels against the bottom of the groove in the ring on the needle-cylinder with sucient force to prevent them falling back through the vertical groove while knitting, with the needles remaining in the working position.

The method of knitting flat fabrics with the' machine, as also described in that application,

is very slow and tedious, as the machine is capable of knitting in only one direction, requiring the removal of the yarn from the yarncarrier every time aforward movement has been made past the operating-needles, and a backward movement of the cam to raise the latches above the yarn on the needles, then laying the yarn, in a backward direction, in

front of the needles, by hand, and, finally, a backward movement of the cylinder once round, when the yarn is restored to the carrier, and one forward movement made, after which the above operation is repeated, and so on, continuously.

Our present invention is designed to provide an arrangement whereby the necessity of the vertical groove, and the care required in bringing it in front of the needles to be raised, are obviated, permitting any number to be raised simultaneously, and whereby, also, the knitting may be accomplished by a forward or backward movement, not requiring the removal of the yarn from the carrier. For this object, instead of the grooved ring at the top of the rotary cylinder A, and the vertical groove leading thereto, we make one wide groove, B, extending from the bottoml A of the straight groove ordinarily employed to the flange C, near the top of the said rotary cylinder A, and around the cylinder, except in the portion occupied by the cams, and in this part we make a narrow groove, D, above the cams, communicating, at each end, with the said wide groove. This arrangement permits the raising of the needles at any point except where they are in contact with the cams, and, when so raised, the tension of the work upon them maintains them above the cams, and prevents the action thereon of the cams.

To provide for operating the needles to knit by moving the cam-cylinder in either direction,

we construct the cam-groove at the rear, as

represented at D', in the same form as at the front E, whereby, when the cylinder A is moved in the backward direction, the needles will be raised suiiciently to elevate the latches above the yarn thereon before the new supply is fed to them. As this arrangement requires the yarn-carrier to occupy different positions relatively to the cams in the rotating cylinder, we provide a slide-support, E', for the carrier, whereon the latter may be moved from one position to the other at each time that the movement of the cam-carrying cylinder is reversed. By this arrangement any of the needles may be thrown ont of action, for widening or narrowing, and for knitting flat extensions of tubular goods without the tedious labor of removing the loops from the needles,

and the eciencyof the machine for such work is greatly increased, in being made capable of working regularly back and forth. I

By the construction which we have adopted we are enabled to dispense with the grooved ring which we have heretofore employed on the top of the cam-cylinder, and to make the said cylinder and its ange C whole, or in one piece.

We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentv The langedcam-cylinder A, having its innersurface cut away, except in the part occupied by the cams, so as to form a wide groove,

B, extending vertically from the shoulder A', 

